Diggin’ Up the Past: Bellota Weir Seven Years Ago

Here’s an interesting article published in the Stockton Record in 2005 about a fish kill at Bellota Weir…. it begs the question whether any progress has been made improving the fish ladder cine then. To be sure, one of the things holding up any improvements is the lack of a Habitat Conservation Plan that is WAY overdue! – Jeremy

Water flow, ladder problems keep some fish from making it upstream

Last month, high water flows and a troublesome fish ladder along the Calaveras River prevented many salmon and protected steelhead from getting upstream to spawn.

Now it seems a temporary solution couldn’t save all the fish. Biologists counted at least 280 salmon carcasses below the Bellota weir after a 2-foot dam at the weir collapsed Thanksgiving weekend.

The California Fisheries Foundation surveyed the Calaveras River after the incident and found the dead fish, biologist Trevor Kennedy said. The group plans to survey the river above the Bellota weir next to see how many fish made it upstream.

Kennedy called the incident “a wasted opportunity,” since the Calaveras had an unusually healthy amount of water this year.

“We did get some fish in the system, but we could have had a pretty sizable run,” he said.